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Guidelines relating to what later generations eventually dubbed "people skills" have been recorded from very early times. Two examples of early human guidelines appear in the Old Testament. Leviticus 19:18 advises: “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against your people, but love your neighbor as yourself”; and Solomon’s wisdom in Proverbs 15:1 includes: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”[5] However the Bible also condemns 'flattery' (Psalms 5:9).

In the 1960s, US schools introduced people-skills topics and methods—often as a way to promote better self-esteem, communication and social interaction. These encompassed psychologist Thomas Gordon's "Effectiveness Training" variations as well as many other training programs.[6] (By the 1980s, "traditional education" and a “back-to-basics” three-Rs emphasis largely pushed these programs aside,[7] with notable exceptions.[8])

A significant portion of the deaths in the United States can be attributed to psychosocial[10] deficits in people skills for stress management and supportive social connection.[11] Business, labor and government authorities agree that wide-ranging people skills are necessary for 20th-century work success in the SCANS report.[12] At least one foundation, Alliances for Psychosocial Advancements in Learning (APAL), has made support of SCANS-related people skills a major priority.[13]

UNESCO research found that young people who develop speaking/listening skills and getting to know others have improved self-awareness, social-emotional adjustment and classroom behavior; self-destructive and violent behavior also were decreased.[14] The Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has identified 22 programs in the US that are especially comprehensive in social-emotional learning coverage and effective in documented impacts.[15]